Google iTunes rival coming with Honeycomb

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A comment made by Sanjay Jha, chief executive of Motorola Mobility, has indicated that Google's Android music and video service will land with the release of Honeycomb devices.

Speaking at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the Motorola boss said: "If you look at Google Mobile services today, there's a video service, there's a music service - that is, there will be a music service." He then clarified what he meant by saying one of Honeycomb's key aspects is that "it adds video services and music services".

Google's iTunes rival has been a long time coming. We first reported on the possibility back in May 2010, when we told you about the Big G planning on using the tech it had acquired from its Simplify Media takeover to power an Android-based digital music service.

And then, in September, reports circulated that Android boss Andy Rubin had been in talks with record labels, and Android's product manager Gaurav Jain revealed in an interview that mobile will play a huge part in Google's music strategy and that Google's music service will launch alongside Android 3.0.

It's about time Google got involved in the digital download market. It's got its finger in every other online pie after all. And, a bit of healthy competition never hurt anyone eh?

Jha also confirmed that the Motorola Xoom would cost about $800 when it goes live later this year. Using the current exchange rate that is a hell of a lot of British pounds - ouch.